Aircraft Carriers

An aircraft carrier is a huge ship but a very small airport. With 70–80 planes in an air wing, some waiting to take off, others ready to land and still others parked on the deck, flight operations are a game of inches and seconds. Since a crew can launch two planes at a time and land one every 37 seconds in the daytime and one every minute at night, coordination on the flight deck is critical.

The air wing brings together a crew of over 2,500 people who fly and maintain the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world. They are on hand during all major overseas deployments and for operational training. Typically, an air wing consists of (14) F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, (36) F/A-18C Hornets, (4) E-2C Hawkeyes, (4) EA-6B Prowlers, (6) S-3B Vikings, (6/2) SH-60R/CH-60 Seahawk helicopters and (2) C-2 Greyhounds. The air wing is a carrier’s primary offensive and defensive weapon.

AIRCRAFT

F/A-18C Hornet:

This agile multi-mission fighter/attack aircraft is the centerpiece of an air wing’s potent striking power. Capable of delivering precision weapons day or night, the F/A-18C has the state-of-the-art/air-to-ground weapons suite.

S-3B Viking:

A carrier-based, subsonic, all-weather, long-range, multi-mission aircraft. It operates primarily with carrier battle groups in anti-submarine warfare zones. It carries automated weapon systems and is capable of extended missions with in-flight refueling.

E-2C Hawkeye:

The “eyes” of the air wing, this airborne early warning command and control aircraft keeps the big picture for the battle group. An integral component of the carrier air wing, the E-2C uses computerized sensors to provide early warning, threat analysis and control of counteraction against air and surface targets.

EA-6B Prowler:

A twin-engine, mid-wing aircraft with long-range, all-weather capabilities and advanced electronic countermeasures. The EA-6B Prowler provides an umbrella of protection over strike aircraft, ground troops and ships by jamming enemy radar, electronic data links and communications.

Seahawk:

The Seahawk is a twin-engine helicopter. It is used for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, drug interdiction, anti-ship warfare, cargo lift, and special operations.

C-2A Greyhound:

The C-2A Greyhound, also known as the “Carrier On-Board Delivery” (COD) aircraft, provides critical logistics support. With a payload of up to 10,000 pounds, the C-2A can transport spare parts, mail and people to and from the ship.

SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

Catapult:

Each of the four steam-powered catapults can send a 48,000-pound plane 300 feet, from zero to 165 miles per hour in two seconds. On each plane’s nose gear is a T-bar which locks into the catapult’s shuttle and pulls the plane down the catapult track.

Arresting Cables:

Four steel cables are stretched across the deck of an aircraft carrier. The tailhook, a hook bolted to an 8-foot bar extending from the belly of the aircraft, catches one of the carrier’s four cables — bringing the 150-MPH plane to a stop in about 320 feet. The cables are set to stop each aircraft at the same place on the deck, regardless of their size or weight.

Elevator:

Each of the four deck edge elevators can lift two aircraft from the huge hangar bay to the 4.5-acre flight in seconds.

Meatball:

This bank of lights along the side of the landing area helps pilots determine whether they are high or low as they approach the ship to land. A horizontal row of fixed green lights intersects a vertical array of red and yellow lights. All the lights are always illuminated; a Fresnel lens system allows the pilot to see only the light that corresponds to the glide path he is taking to the ship.

Flight Deck Control:

On the flight deck level of the island, crewmembers maintain a scale model version of the actual flight deck and the ship’s hangar bay. Miniature airplanes with their tail numbers are placed in positions that correspond to each real aircraft’s location.